Sunset
by TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL
Summary: Sunsets. Starfire said it was a sight to behold, Robin said it was stupid and time-unworthy. She decides to invite him to watch it with her once, but was rejected. Unfortunately, when Starfire gets into something unexpected for a Tamaranian like her, by the end of the day, will Robin finally realize that friendship has more value than earthly things—such as work and villains?
1. Ignorance

**An afterthought for 'Things Change', I thought it would be nice to drift the topic from Beast Boy and Terra to Robin and Starfire. (Not that Terra and Beast Boy were ever together. Whatever.) Inspired by Special A, episode 10 & Kevlar Masquerade's Follow Me, (Chapter One: Flight). Check out these two things, please. Both are **_**super**_** awesome.**

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Chapter One

Ignorance

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Starfire stepped rather wearily over the dark, cold linoleum hallway. The temperature in this part of the tower was cold, but she didn't mind. She usually liked it, especially if it involved getting Robin to be chucked out of the room. Her footsteps echoed loudly through the vast foyer leading to the most isolated room in their dwelling—the investigation room.

She had unwillingly left the three other Titans in their search for the white shape-shifting object that they had fought with a few hours ago, as commanded by their single-minded leader. Beast Boy, though still a little bit dubious about his finding about and rejected by the memory lost Terra, agreed in doing the search in singles, though Raven didn't trust him for being as focused on the work. She, Cyborg, and Beast Boy split up to have a wider search party and hunting range. Approving with the agreement, Starfire didn't bother to tell them of her quitting the job momentarily, because they wouldn't know, anyway.

Tired from her walk from the Jump City Public Park to the topmost level of the Tower by using stairs, she stood in front of the door of the investigation room. Her knees were slightly shaking, and seemed like they couldn't hold her for a longer period of time. Her eyes couldn't even stay open or do another blink, but forced her body to stand still and not let herself fall.

Breathless, she stared into empty space for a few minutes, rehearsing the things that she wanted to tell Robin.

She sighed.

Partly confident and consoled, she punched in the key code. She forced herself to act as though she wasn't even a tad exhausted. It was almost like she was eager to see Robin, though something inside her told her that he wasn't going to appreciate her coming in.

The doors hissed open obediently, letting Starfire to step in. The air conditioner was whirring loudly, pushed to the button that made it work at the maximum. She slightly shivered at the wintriness of the air, feeling her warm solar-powered hands meeting each of her upper limbs in a loose hug. The small lights hung on the ceiling lifelessly, filling the room with dim, orange light. The curtains were shut tightly against the windows, not letting any sunlight in. The bareness of the place almost scared her, but she was not about to step out that easily.

Robin sat on a stool, too absorbed in his laptop standing on a white-steeled table about two-and-a-half feet to even know the presence of someone behind her. This irked Starfire.

After a few more moments of silence between them, Robin heard someone behind him cough a couple of times. He thought of this as a way to catch his attention—whoever that was.

"What are you doing here?" asked Robin, in a way that seemed like he didn't care about the answer in its next words. His voice was cold and hard, forceful and ignorant.

Despite his mood, she remained cheerful and eager. "I was to tell you that—"

But he didn't let her finish. "Get out and continue the search, I don't need any help here."

That hurt. The alien felt herself flinch a little.

She coughed a couple times more, and this time, it was louder. Robin exhaled sharply, hanging his head on the air.

"Look, do you see that I'm working on something important here—" he whirled his chair so that he was face-to-face with Starfire. He was shocked at the sight, and there was a short pause between them. It was as if he was replaying the things he'd just said.

He didn't even know that it was Starfire behind him.

"Um. Star?"

That even hurt worse. He acted like he didn't know it was her after all.

"Greetings, Robin," she said with a small smile, her voice shaking because of the chillness surrounding her. But fortunately, it was unnoticeable.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, softening his voice so that he could make up for the harsh words that came out of his mouth lately. "You're supposed to be doing the search with the others."

"I was, and I have not found a trace of a destructive creature as such." She was telling the truth. "And I was exhausted, and I merely wanted to have a little rest, and perhaps you would also want to—"

"Go with you?" he barked. "I'm sorry, what was that again? I'm doing some important case here, and you want me to take some rest?"

"Yes," she answered defensively, regardless of the sarcasm he was showing to get her to leave. "And I know there is nothing wrong with taking a little rest," she said, her voice gentle and soothing. "And I was fervent of the idea that you and I could—"

"No," he simply said, getting back to work.

"But Robin, the colors of the sunset are wonderful!" she said, quite cheerfully. "There is red, and orange, and yellow and behind it is a wide blue sky filled with chirping birds, and—"

"Star, seriously. I've seen that sunset enough." Robin looked at the screen with outright curiosity and oblivion from the red-haired alien. "And besides, I couldn't just abandon the work. So stop your prank and—"

"I was not joking," she hastened, hurt. "I just wanted your eyes to have a little rest from that radiation-emitter computer screen to the beauty of your Earth's nature. Maybe one day your eyes would become blind because you exposed them to those dangerous—"

"I couldn't take a break, Star. I'm serious." He meant it when he was serious. "If you don't want to help the others with the search, go on and take your rest. I'm busy."

"What are you looking for specifically, if you don't mind to answer?" asked a sharp Starfire, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That creature we fought." he answered directly, and cocked an eyebrow at her as though he was confused why she hadn't figured it out in the first place. "Its shape-shifting ability was...I dunno, quite confusing."

Her expression softening, she asked, "What have you found out about it, then?"

The Boy Wonder sighed. "Nothing. I couldn't tell what material it was made of, and that's the main detail I need to find out before doing further research." Starfire could tell that he downhearted at the fact. "I couldn't even figure out if it's solid or liquid. So I think there's a pretty long time since I could figure it out. I can handle it." Shifting his masked eyes to her, he slightly changed the subject. "Speaking of handling things, have you talked to Beast Boy yet?"

"He did not tell me everything," she avoided looking at him, because she knew exactly where this conversation was going. "On what I have gathered and based on the actions she had done in his observance, she will not be rejoining us again, and his theory was that she decided to forget her past permanently because she was hurt by it, especially concerning Beast Boy."

Robin didn't notice his friend's reaction of not looking at him in the eye. Wheeling back on the sea of work, he commanded, "Tell Raven and Cyborg to start their search of Terra. It shouldn't be hard for them to find her if she's living in the city. Leave Beast Boy in his search." He knew very well that doing this was wrong, because reminder of Terra's past will only make her feel terrible. But this was the only way to get Starfire out of the room. And once she tells Raven of the command, the empath would surely turn it down. "Tell them to gather any information they get from Terra, and if she doesn't really remember about her past of having any powers, it's our responsibility to warn her of it because her life may be in danger because of us—"

"Robin, you are talking too fast." She backed out a bit, touching her temples with both hands as if she was having a headache. "But I don't think we should warn her about that, because reminder of her past would only make her feel terrible, and it's our responsibility to keep her to her preferred happiness."

Robin blew out the air from his cheeks. Busted.

"Then leave," he deadpanned. "You're distracting me from my work."

"But if you do not want a viewing of the sunset," she insisted, "then maybe you could use a little help—"

"No. The _others_ need your help." He hung his head in the air in annoyance. "Why don't you annoy the others instead of just torturing me in here in your naive—?"

She coughed a couple of times, and she demanded sharply, "Excuse me?"

Robin paused as if he was being taken back to Earth. His eyes widened in slight guilt. Only _slight_ guilt. "Um..."

"Is my act of bringing you out on this...this..." her head was getting redder by the minute as she thought of an appropriate word. "This _glorified prison_ annoying you? I'm doing this for you, Robin, and wouldn't you appreciate this?"

Emphasis on 'glorified prison' came out cold and hard.

"No, I don't, Star. I'm working here." Something is taking control of his mouth, and he isn't the same 'Robin' that cared for Starfire's feelings. "I just couldn't stop this. I just can't goof around with videogames and sunsets and other stupid things. And just so you know, I have to stay in here because it's my jo—"

"Sunsets...are stupid?" The auburn girl was silent and emotionally hurt by his words. The combination of the warm colors amazed her, and she always has wished that Tamaran also had scenes like this.

"Yeah, why not?" Completely oblivious, he stared on the screen and let his mouth move by itself. But part of him asked, _what's with the alternate mood swings?_ "Today's not the ideal time. We could do it tomorrow, if you want."

"But we do not know what shall happen tomorrow," Starfire stressed. "We have to do things and spend our lives happily while we can and be as merry as—"

"Reality check, Star, reality check," Robin breathed heavily. _Seriously_. _Where was this conversation headed?_ "There are plenty of times to do these things."

"Do you really think we could do it tomorrow?" Starfire asked, the light of the universe starting to shine in her eyes.

"Yeah," Robin said, deadpan. "If I have the time, that is."

Starfire's eyes lost the glow. She did not like the way he spoke—it was like he was telling her too shoo away and never reappear. But that didn't stop her.

"But what if—"

"Star, be practical, will you?" He hastened before she could continue. "It's not like the end of the world is tomorrow that we couldn't do it. There's limit to things. There's time for that, and there's time for work. I just couldn't let myself stay away from work just because you told me so. You're not the boss of me."

Snappish, she closed her eyes and said, "So our opinions don't matter."

"No. I'm not saying anything like that. I'm saying that you're not the boss of me."

"That does not mean that as the leader of the Teen Titans, we should need to obey. That is very much objectionable. Is it not?"

"No!" This time, he finally jumped out of his seat and started walking towards her in a slow motion. "Of course your opinions matter, but you're different. I use logic before I do things; you use your feelings to do things. It's not like that for everyone."

"So I'm different," she concluded. "I don't belong here. That is what you're saying?"

"No, I'm not," he said, holding his head in two fingers of his left hand. "Of course you belong here. What, exactly, are you thinking?"

She started to be hopeful and posted a happy, triumphant smile. This was the chance that she could prove her point. "I'm thinking that we need to stop this argument and do the relaxing of ourselves in the fresh air outside and—"

"Seriously." He grabbed her wrist in an iron grip. He needn't think about the welfare of her feelings this time. "Do your thing alone."

She broke from the grip and looked at him in the eye, with her expression pouty with big, pleading eyes. "It would not be so enjoyable if I do it alo—"

"Yes it will." Robin crossed his own arms over his chest. He was too busy to even notice Starfire's strange physical changing. "You won't have me sulking all the way muttering about how stupid sunsets are. Now leave."

"Stupid?" She asked again. She couldn't believe it how her friend would possibly think of such thing. Part of her knew that Robin was going to put a negative answer on her next question, but insisted on asking him. "Do you really think sunsets are stupid?"

"Yeah," he deadpanned, his expression grim and stern. He was really annoying her, but he intended to do so. It seemed like the best thing to do at the minute. "They are."

"But I am sure you can forget that creature and leave your eyes off of that device in this prison for one moment and enjoy a sunset," Starfire said.

"No I couldn't," said the Boy Wonder, glancing at his browser, and then returning to his companion. "You happy now?"

"But then..." Starfire paused as she thought of something that might get him to have a little rest for a while. After tapping her chin with one finger a few times, she came up with an idea. "I know! Would you then instead come with us for dinner? I could call the others and we could go to the coach house—"

"No." He narrowed his mask at her, growing impatient of his friend's 'foolishness', as he would think. "What part of 'I can't do it' can't you understand? I've got too much work to do."

"Surely it can wait," Starfire said, cheerful. "You have told me that there's time for things, and this is the time for us to eat and be merry and stop thinking of villains and—"

Robin pointed a finger on the wall clock ticking loudly in the room. "It's only five. That dinner could wait a little longer. But this work can't."

Following his point of fixation, she sighed. But a new perspective entered her and verbalized with a "Yes, you may be right, but you have not given us the permission to eat our lunch when Beast Boy asked you to—"

"Then eat with the others. I'll take it later," he dismissed, waving a hand to silence her. "And I'm serious this time."

"But Robin, I was not joking!" exclaimed Starfire, who was now hovering above him. _She just doesn't know when enough's enough_. "I would be happy if you would accompany us in our—"

He returned to his stool and pointed a finger towards the door. "Get out."

"Robin, please."

"I said get out!" Temper isn't really the first thing in his mind by the time. "Now!"

"If you would just listen to me then maybe you could change your mind and then—"

"Leave me alone! I've heard enough of your...your..." Robin couldn't summon enough patience so he let his feelings take over him. "I've heard enough of your useless, pathetic bellowing in here! You're more trouble than help, you daft, dense idiot!"

Crestfallen, Starfire summoned up enough courage to still be able to talk to her ill-tempered leader. "I guess...I shall...leave you here alone?"

"Oh, _finally_." Robin whacked his head not-so-gently on the frame of the table once. "You got my point for the first time."

She remained silent for a moment. Tears started pricking her eyes as pain went in them, but she pulled them back.

"But why is your work more important than us, your friends?" she asked, more hurt than angry. "Are we not worthy of your time? Are there any flaws you found in each us which you did not like and—"

"Oh, not at all!" Robin hastened in a fake, enthusiastic voice, telling her that staying in this room for a longer time would not result to anything good. He couldn't help it, but his dry sarcasm often came to play when he was most agitated. "Instead of your helping me here, Raven couldn't stop mediating, Beast Boy's videogame addiction got to an incurable level, Cyborg can't take his eyes off of his 'baby', and you, you stupid, worthless _troq_ can't even understand a thing I'm saying here."

_Uh oh_. He shouldn't have said that...

"Star...um, you know that I…" Robin wheeled his chair slowly to meet Starfire, who was currently falling over in shock. Seeing her in this way—eyes dark and ready to kill, hands fisted and ready to murder—silent anger was definitely not a sight to behold. "I didn't mean to—"

_Troq_. That was highly unforgivable.

"Flawless," Starfire seethed, teeth gritted. She backed out, as if she was fearful that Robin might come and get her. "So you are."

Robin gulped. Hearing Starfire's deadly voice made chills climb up his spine.

"Oh, yes. You are flawless, are you not?" She lifted her head up, which was previously pointed to the ground in humility. But Starfire's warrior-side kicked in, which she had no control over. "Well, for your information, there are a _lot_ of things that I found flawed in you." She said it in an evil-kind-of laugh, putting as much as emphasis on the word 'lot' that she could muster. "I just want you to be thankful that I have got not enough energy to even list them."

"Starfire..." he hastened, though he knew he had no chance on winning this argument. Not now. He scratched the back of his neck which served as a sign of nervousness. All because of a 'freaking sunset', as he would think, he got into the middle of a confrontation which he didn't have any control over, and he thought that Starfire only made him look like the villain here, which he truly was.

"You _know_ I didn't mean that..."

"So." She crossed her arms over her chest, skeptical. "I suppose that a _troq_ like me does not deserve to be with someone like _you_, you, a perfect person who lived to deserve all good things here on Earth and treated like a king, compared to a useless, pathetic, blemished litter that deserves to live in a trash bag, and as you have said, a troq like me."

"Star, wait. I can explain..." he walked towards her, but she just backed out. "You know how I get when I'm angry..."

"Yes. I do," she spat the words out separately, wanting Robin to get her cold feeling. "But I did not know that you could say things such that could hurt one's feelings so badly."

"Wait," he hastened, and stepped towards her. But then again, she backed out from him. "I'll—maybe the work could—"

Starfire prepared to leave, turning her back on him.

"I will see you later. I will just invite the others to meet in the tea coach house, but it is not too late for you to join us. But I would prefer it if you were absent."

Robin would've started the fight all over again, and his temper was getting five-hundred Fahrenheit over the thermometer's standards, but he had had enough. If he was a child, he would've spat his tongue back at her while her back was on him.

And besides, Robin thought, triumph always comes to someone who is totally innocent. And he believed that he was the one that was totally, purely innocent.

Who started the whole fight? _Starfire_. Who entered the room and disturbed him from his work? _Starfire_. Who quitted the job with utterly unacceptable reasons—not to mention, _sunsets_—and preferred to leave her teammates behind? _Starfire_. Who wanted to just goof around and act as though nothing serious is happening with such big matters at hand? _Starfire_.

And those reasons were enough to make Robin assumed that he was standing on a pretty solid ground.

He returned to his work, but still felt the presence of the red-headed alien behind him.

_Ignore her. She's just trying to convince you to watch a freaking sunset._

She was still standing there. Robin's breathing patterns started to go sharp. It was a full five minutes, yet she hadn't made a clue that she was gone. Her presence made Robin want to strangle her or something, but of course, he couldn't do that. She's his friend. It's just that…her presence disturbed him, and she'd somehow distracted him from looking and focusing on the current situation. He knew he shouldn't have reacted like that, and it wasn't like he was working about something connected to Slade. He doesn't know—sunsets were the furthest thing from his mind by the minute, and being with his laptop seemed like the best idea to do in a time like this. Yes, he knew, he risked this 'best idea' of being with a laptop instead of his friend, but although it was wrong, the destructive white shape-shifting object they fought was the more important thing.

_She should understand that_, thought Robin gravely, typing furiously over the keyboard.

Starfire, meanwhile, was standing there, tears pouring from her eyes. She was confident and happy before she entered this room. Why have she talked to Robin in the first place? Something in her warned her that if she came in this 'glorified prison', she would be rejected, just like all those times when Robin slammed the door on her face and spat out nasty words as a bad fruit of his obsession to villains, not to mention Slade.

But no. She listened in that voice that said that Robin was not always cold-hearted and could sometimes lend a hand if he wanted and has to. But the other part of her mind told her to stay away and leave Robin, because he'd be better off without her, anyway. As he had said, she was a _troq_, no matter how much she wanted to believe it. All those Tamaranian teachers back in Okaara always taunted her that Blackfire, her older sister, was way better than her. Even Ryand'r passed her standards and did much better than her, much to her depression.

But she wouldn't leave. She just stood there, watching her leader get engaged with hours and hours of work—again. She felt sad for him, and utterly confused of him. _If friends were truly a matter of importance to him, why does he prefer to be with a tiresome labor instead of a cheerful, friendship get-together?_ Her heart went out to him, wishing that he wasn't like this. And instantly, in the very moment, she felt something…strange inside of her.

It was all so sudden. Her heart started beating faster, and it was hammering loudly in her chest. She doesn't want to move. She _can't_ move. Her breathing started to go sharp, and it eventually hurt. Breathing hurt. Moving hurt. Everything hurt. It seemed like her situation was hopeless. She silently held her chest, trying to soothe the pain that was gradually forming inside. It seemed like her lungs were blocked by something, and she couldn't breathe.

It was not emotional hurt. It's _physical_.

She was sure that Robin could hear her breathing, but the small noises she made were not that much alarming. With Robin too absorbed in what he's doing, it was hard to notice little signs of respiration from his back. He didn't even notice it when she had come into that 'glorified prison', and he needed to face her first before he could even know who was there behind her.

The pain continued to grow. It originated from her lungs, and she couldn't utter a word. Her voice came out as only a small gush of air. The place around her seemed as cold as ice. Her eyes started closing, but she wouldn't give in. The world seemed to sway, and her knees wouldn't stop shaking.

Where was Robin, the Boy Wonder when you needed him? His back turned to her, looking up who-knows-_what_ in the internet.

She muttered one last word before she let her body fall. She reached her hand out as if someone's hand was there to help her up. Unfortunately, there wasn't.

"Robin…" the voice came out weak and frail, afraid that she was really, truly about to fall and hit the cold, solid ground.

"Star," Robin breathed, and slowly wheeled his chair to meet her. "You know I'm not in the mood for anything—"

This was the time when the Boy Wonder abruptly turned into attention, and he saw Starfire moving out of balance. He hopped from his seat and came to Starfire's aid. But he was too late, and eventually, she collapsed.

"Starfire!"

He sat beside her, and cradled her in his arms. Her skin touched his, and it was scorching with fever. Robin put the heel of his hand on her forehead, and though it was gloved, the heat passed through it quickly. He turned her head so he could look at her in the eye. She had flushed, red cheeks, and she was shaking with the coldness around her.

"Don't worry, Starfire," he guaranteed, rather panicky. He had never dealed with a feverish person, ever. Starfire's eyes couldn't muster enough energy to look at him, and her surroundings started to blur. But it seemed like looking at Robin was the only way for her to get better. The sight of the Boy Wonder holding her in safety was comforting, and she didn't want to shut down. Not yet.

"I've got you," he said as he stood up, holding her sure and steady, considering his small, body size, and thin, seemingly-weak legs. He took one last glance at Starfire, and tried his best to look assuring. "Hang on."

Robin got up, and left the room with haste, leaving his work behind. The auburn-haired girl was shaky, and could not gather enough energy, so she inaudibly sighed an exhausted one, certain that she was safe while Robin was here. She curled forward against Robin's chest, and she could hear his heart beating rapidly in alarm. His breathing was fast, because he was running for several minutes now.

Maybe she could forgive Robin for calling her a troq. Maybe. But the fact that he called her that wasn't the problem that needed to be dealed with at the moment. Yes, Robin was regretful of his calling her something so rude and disrespectful, and being so ignorant in the first place. Maybe if he just went with her, Starfire will not be into something risky like this.

He knew, it was only a fever, and the girl he has in his arms was a Tamaranian, but these weren't enough to convince him that it doesn't need to worry. He also knew that with her solar-powered body, her temperature would be higher than a human's, but the flushing cheeks and rapid breathing were enough symptoms. With one free hand, he whipped out his communicator and located Raven's name first before calling the others.

The last thing Starfire remembered was seeing the Boy Wonder rushing her to the medical bay.

Despite her willpower and struggles to fight against consciousness, everything went black.

* * *

**You know what? I really hate myself for everything. I told myself I wasn't going to write a story until I finish the one I've already started, but I can't help it. I've got this writer's block for **_**Peter Pan**_**, and I just hope my imagination will come back to Earth soon. Maybe it took a break into the Amazon jungle, or maybe explored the Kepler 22 B blue planet thing 600 hundred light-years from here or took a little sightseeing trip in the Belize's Great Blue Hole, or maybe permanently lived **_**in**_** one of Yellowstone's geysers and is about to be killed in 91 minutes once that geyser shoots out who-knows-what gallons of **_**hot**_** water, never to return again. **_**Argh**_**. I'm **_**depressed**_**. Somebody, **_**any**_**body. PM me…Ahh, **_**whatever**_**. Whatever-whatever-whatever. I hate TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL-ish stupid, stupid, **_**stupid**_**. Oh, and, yeah. If my writer's block soon recovers for Peter Pan, I'm out of this story. I'll discontinue. I'm really hoping that I will recover from this 'disease', so if you liked this and you want to get more, don't count on it. And besides, this is the only story I've EVER written without a plot. So, really. Don't count on it. I'm more prone to a writer's **_**block**_** in this one. Review if you like. Who knows, maybe if I get enough to pull me out of this discouragement, I actually might be able to put up a next chapter. *emphasis on might***

**Favor: if you've got the time, please rate this from A to E. **

**Utterly depressed, **

**T-K-O-G xP (that's a smiley which means **_**I'm dead**_**. *dry spits three times for luck*) T-G-W-W-T-T-F-S. Luv y'all, RobxStar fans out there!**

** I'm kinda proud of it. **


	2. Myelitis

Have I told anyone in here that I don't abandon something once I started it? Ha-ha. I don't want to appear 'too' evil, so it's obvious I decided to continue this. I don't own the Teen Titans. This is dedicated to Ma'am Ti, the best newswriting coach ever. [And never once was I able to make you proud. I'm a horrible newswriting trainee.]

**Warning: This is boring, and it's from Raven's POV. Oh, I want y'all to forget all those not-so sappy—including the TOO sappy ones—Robin and Starfire moments, 'cuz I'm gonna pretend that Robin never really admitted to Star that he 'likes' her, although this is after 'Things Change'. Another warning: this chapter is sci-fi, so if you have the time, please research about the word 'poliomyelitis' before reading. Thank you.**

* * *

Chapter Two

Myelitis

* * *

The ECG scanner showed how Starfire's heart was beating more properly. The catheter hanging on the IV pole was connected to the alien's wrist, sending liquid oxygen directly to her bloodstream. The Tamaranian Titan lay on one of the medical bay's dull and gray beds, her forehead covered with a cold, wet towel to reduce her temperature.

Raven stood up from the wooden chair beside her bed and headed to the nearest closet. Raven thought it was better if she put an ice bag on it, but Robin persisted that Starfire might get a cold from it. Raven scoffed at him, but nonetheless stubbornly followed the very good 'advice'.

The sound of Starfire breathing was coming to a more normal pace, which means she was alright. It made the empath feel better.

The only thing that made her all restless and fidgety was the medical study that she and Robin made about the ill alien a little earlier…

**[Flashback]** _"What are you doing?" _Robin had asked, catching Raven doing some research alone in the Tower's scientific laboratory. The laboratory was usually unused and disregarded by any other Titan, so Raven was a little bit suspicious at the Boy Wonder's sudden appearance. Plus, it was located on the most isolated place in their home, because as said above, it was the least visited place on the Tower.

"_What do you mean I'm doing?" _Raven fired, her voice a little bit apprehensive but awkwardly steady. Her back that once faced Robin was turned away._ "What are you doing here?"_

"_Is something the matter?" _Robin asked, looking past Raven. Based on the materials he saw behind her, he concluded that she might be having some medical experiment.

It would be impossible if Raven said that nothing was wrong.

"_Answer my question first," _Raven demanded, trying to sound affirmative_. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I had something to do," _he answered, purposefully avoiding Raven's distrustful look_. "I gave you an answer." _He crossed his arms over his chest._ "Would you tell me yours?"_

"_Never mind what I'm doing," _she dismissed, stepping forward as to shoo him away_. "And don't come in without knocking. That's just rude."_

"_I knocked two times_._" _Robin remained where he was. He didn't step back._ "I wondered who was in here." _He looked over her shoulder. He took the paper that Raven was hiding from her back. She said a small _"Hey!"_ but the Boy Wonder wasn't paying attention.

"_Is…"_ he stammered, _"is this…an article about polio? Why are you reading this?"_

"_Robin,"_ Raven sighed, being the practical person that she was. _"Please don't tell Starfire that she…"_ Raven hesitated looking away from him.

"_What?"_

"_She…is permanently paralyzed."_

Raven shook her head. The memory of the research evaporated from her mind, to her relief. Maybe it was better if Starfire didn't know about the news yet. Not now.

She took the sphygmomanometer from the closet, and then shut it. She placed the instrument on her bed, and then sat on her chair. Dusting it with her free hand, she thought she heard small moans and groans from Starfire. She was awake.

Starfire's eyes fluttered open. She immediately became aware that she was not alone in the room. She looked over at Raven, who was smiling at her. "Hi, Star," she greeted. It wasn't really easy, smiling, but the last thing Starfire needed was a Nurse of Misery. Raven returned to her work, attaching the cuff on Starfire's arm. "Feel better?"

"Pleasant shlorvaks, friend." Then she cocked an eyebrow in question. "Please, why are you in my room?"

The half-demon remained monotonous even though she didn't want to be. "You're not in your room."

She looked around the room. Marble-colored tiles are perfectly waxed and shining, and white walls. The place could've actually appeared white if it isn't nighttime. But on the current time, the walls looked gray and dark. She then observed the sensor pads stuck in her arms and legs, and an IV pole with a hanging clear plastic bag connected to a transparent tube fixed on her right wrist. She gasped.

"Tell me!" She covered her mouth with her hands. "What has happened?"

"Nothing serious," Raven answered. "Too low blood pressure. Extreme fatigue is the main cause."

"Oh." She held her head as a sudden pain lashed through it. "Ouch. That was…quite painful."

Raven stood up and put a hand on her forehead, on which Starfire appreciatively accepted. The pale-faced Titan sighed.

"You're still seriously burning up," she informed her. "Rest, alright? Doctor's orders."

"Doctor? I have not considered you a doctor, but one of your Earth's psychiatric therapists, or rather much, a mystic or a witchdoctor," Starfire said as she watched Raven put a blood pressure cuff on her arm, kneeling on the side of the bed. The cuff automatically inflated, then eased. Raven opened the Velcro, the sound of it shrill against the deafening silence.

"One hundred over seventy-two," she said, relieved. "At least that's even better."

"Better? What do you mean? Is my condition…" she gulped, "critical?"

_Critical_…that sent goose bumps for Raven. She flinched, which, fortunately, her fellow femme Titan didn't notice. Starfire was still pending, though…

"No, it isn't critical."_ Lie. _"Those devices are for monitoring your safety." _Half_-_truth_. "You'll be alright in no time."

She rested her head relaxingly on the two, big fluffy white pillows. "Where are the others?"

"Spread throughout the Tower doing what they know you would like them to do."

Starfire was quiet, then asked, trying to not semi wince. "And Robin?"

Raven hesitated, then said, "Working." Probably off in his own world not thinking about you. I don't really understand what you found in that thick-skinned pinhead, too daft to not notice that you're head-over-heels on him. But if he does, he acts like an utter idiot about it. I'm not asking him to be romantic—too sentimental, and I hate sentimental—but I, at least, want him to acknowledge you or something, ask you to do courtship with him. That would leave the Tower from any sickeningly sweet feelings, anyway, which would make me rest in peace to not worry about puking or something.

But, of course she didn't say that. She wanted to keep those Robin-oriented comments to herself for the time-being.

She didn't say that, but Raven had a feeling that Starfire was thinking it.

"Oh." That hurt. That really, really hurt. He prefers to stare at his 'radiation-emitter' instead of looking at their friendship.

Raven edgily looked at the clock. Nine-forty. She had called on that not-so trusty Boy Blunder about thirty minutes ago.

Where was Robin? Raven had told him to come over the room through telepathy. She needed someone to look after her while she made herself a drink. Herbal tea is what had appealed to her these days, and she needed a hand to take care of Starfire, just for a few minutes. But she guessed that even Robin wouldn't sacrifice a few freaking minutes for Starfire, eh? No one wanted to take turns on looking after her—well, who _could_, anyway? All Titans were busy. Unfortunately, the Changeling and the half-man were not so much of a help, so she had no choice but to call on the Boy Wonder.

She knew that entering her teammates' minds—especially Robin's—was against their privacy, but she's dying for tea. And she needed a small break from three hours of acting like a domestic helper. The conversation between her and Robin may not have been nice, but…he should forget about those paper works of his and think about them. That selfish, cruel devil…

_- I have come in peace. _Raven had begun casually.

_-Who are you? _Robin replied, like he was trying to shoo her away with his strictness.

Raven wouldn't be affected. _-Your conscience._

_-Ha-ha. There you go again, Raven._

_-Likewise, _she fired, her monotone voice slightly irritating him.

_-What are you here for? I'm doing something here. _Raven heard him continue on typing on his respective keyboard.

_-Dragging you out of that glorified prison of yours. _

_Hey, _Robin thought_. _That was exactly what Starfire had told him.

_-This is not a glorified prison, _he canned_. - It's called the 'investigation room', for your information._

_-Whatever, Blunder, _she scorned._ Will you come in here? Star wants to see you. The last thing she needs is depression._

_-Why don't you call Beast Boy and Cyborg? They're doing nothing but breathe. _

_-Says the guy who doesn't even care about his friends, _she said, making a 'pah' voice_. -At least they're making her something to make her happy. _

_-Yeah? _He challenged_. -Cooking her tofu with meat toppings, huh?_ Raven hated that voice of cynicism._ -Excellent choice of cooks, Rae._

_-I didn't need two schizophrenic idiots in the room fighting over what we should eat for breakfast, _she defended.

_-But _you_ need _me_? _Hah, ironic. -_My, I'm flattered. _

_-I _don't_ need you. _There went that 'pah' voice again_. -Starfire does. Don't you care about her?_

_-I do, but…she understands._ There was a hint of an uncomfortable feeling in his edgy voice. _ Why me?_

_-Don't pretend that you don't know that there is _something_ between you._

Robin flinched. -_Promise me you'll be quiet once I abide to your command. _

_-Will that make you come here?_

_-What does it look like?_

_-Alright. But would you please _try_ look like you're happy to see her conscious again? _

_-Are you asking me to lie?_

_-Am I asking you to li—wait a minute. You _don't_ care about her?_

_-Gotcha. _

_-Ugh, _Raven exhaled_. Nice save there. _

_-Would you please be as kind to leave me in peace? _His voice was quite annoyed_. I would like that very much._

Leaving his mind was bliss. By just going near him, you can hear the wheels of his brain spin around like the Grand Prix.

The conversation makes her feel nauseated.

So Robin was working in his room, not thinking about her. He didn't even make the effort to visit her, just for a while? He was unbelievably selfish. Yes, he may be the one who carried her to the room and immediately had called Raven to make nursing activities, but at least, he should've shown her that he cared, just for more than a friend, a teammate, a part of the family. Starfire wanted to cry. She really wanted to release those emotions overcoming her, but she couldn't. She didn't want to look weak in front of Raven, and crying would probably just irritate her friend. She didn't want to do that, because for all the empath has done for her, she was grateful. She didn't want to return it by making Raven's head ache.

Like her own headache wasn't piercing enough. She knew crying won't do anything, but…

"Agghh, Star…" Raven complained. "What are you thinking about? You're making me feel nauseated." Yet again.

Big tears spread over her flushed cheeks, red over having a high fever.

"I am the okay," she informed Raven when she immediately recovered from her breakdown. She wiped her own tears with the back of her hand. "Forgive me for being overly emotional." She wanted to cry alone. "Please, may you assist me to the bathroom?" She reached for her lower extremities with her two hands. "My legs feel unusually…atrophied."

Raven's pale face metamorphosed from ashy gray to white mayonnaise.

Starfire noticed this. She sat up erect, swung her legs to the side of the bed, and reaching to pat her shoulder. Her pink nightgown showed when she gently threw the blankets away. She planned to say 'What is wrong, friend Raven?' but something stopped her from doing it.

The dark enchantress started to panic. She shouted a vehement "No!" which clearly had nothing to do with their current conversation. This reaction made Starfire more confused, so she quickly placed her feet on the cold, solid ground.

Once she stood straight and independent, she felt like lightning had struck her knees. Her feet felt like ice, and her legs suffered like jelly that it was impossible to get up.

Raven stepped forward to catch her from falling, and Starfire fell.

The alien looked at the ground, her arms clinging on Raven's shoulders. She was too shocked that she didn't know how to react.

"Starfire!" she scolded. "Don't do such silly things again, alright?" Raven patted her back like she was burping a baby. "What if I wasn't here and you fell? Never do that again, alright?"

"Raven…" she felt like…it was hard to control herself from walking. Almost like…she couldn't feel her legs, although they're still a little that feeling was kind of…weird.

Robin chose that exact moment to come in barging into the room, finding Starfire hung on Raven on the floor. "What are you doing?" he asked, flabbergasted at the scene.

"Why didn't you knock?" Raven said, not even looking over at him. She brought Starfire back up to her bed, where the alien sat staring into empty space. "That's rude, Birdie."

"What? What happened?" Robin asked, completely ignoring his friend's mortification, tense. "Starfire?" He turned his attention to his other emotionless friend. He gently closed the door behind him, and walked over. He waved a hand in front of her face. That sent her back to Earth. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, friend Robin," she exhaled. "I…just wanted to go to the bathroom, but, something strange has happened." She looked at him, then smiled. "But I assume that is not worthy of awareness."

She suddenly flinched in spite of that staring at Robin. There went that headache again. "Agghh. I have gotten such… discomfort …"

"Star, polite excuse." Raven placed Starfire back to her bed, stood up straight, and got ready to leave. "I'll leave you with Robin here. I'll make you a jasmine. Do you like that?"

Tea tasted like bitter water, its contents coming from the juice extracted from the leaves of plants. Indeed, it exactly was, Raven informed her when she told her this. It didn't taste something good like mustard or anywhere near orange juice, or iced tea. But she didn't want to take down the rare offer, especially if it was from Raven. What's the worst that could happen?

"Of course, friend," she smiled at her, which came out as a wince. Her head was aching like forever. "I am grateful for that."

Raven didn't want to teleport to the ops room. Her powers would only be wasted, and she needed that magic for Starfire's healing process. Plus, she didn't have enough time to meditate to empower it.

Destiny being as it was, just as she opened the button that commanded the door-opening sequence, she saw the two best friends about to push the same button.

When Cyborg saw Starfire sitting up on her bed, he gave the tray of food to Beast Boy—much to his chagrin—he practically pushed and knocked Raven over. "Whoa! Girl, you're awake!"

"Oh, you noticed." Raven rolled her eyes. "I was starting to think you didn't."

"I am," Starfire told the wide-eyed and happy Cyborg, passing him a weak smile. She was still feeling fragile, like she would fall again for any second. She didn't share his enthusiasm, but they all understood it. "How long have I waited you in worry?"

Just as about Raven was to exit the room, Beast Boy took this chance to come in rushing into it, passing the tray to the outraged Raven, running over Starfire's bed. He did exactly what Cyborg had done—practically pushing her and knocking her over.

"Hey!" she demanded.

"About three days," Beast Boy mused happily, completely ignoring Raven and turning his attention to Starfire.

"Three days?" She gasped, about to believe what he said. "Really?"

"Ugh. Still aren't used to them?" Raven held her forehead, rolling her eyes for the second time. "Three hours." She walked over her bed and placed the tray on the table. "Do you want to eat?"

"I am so glad to have you by my side," she told her friends, then coughing two involuntary coughs. "Please excuse me…my throat feels quite unpleasant."

"That's okay." Robin said. He reached over to touch her forehead. "You're temperature's still not changing." He sat down on Raven's wooden chair, then held her hand, which, despite her other parts of the body, was freezing cold. "Your hands are freezing." He sighed. "I hope you won't suffer convulsion."

"I will be fine…soon…" her voice trailed off as she remembered something. "This is not a burden for you, is it?" Her eyes had a hint of worry. "What if there will have an emergency and I…"

"Then we won't leave you here alone," Cyborg snapped. "Was that ever a question?"

Saccharine. Raven hated saccharine scenes.

Beast Boy, being one person that becomes bored when it comes to these kinds of panoramas, decided to annoy Raven for the time-being. Like a wild animal—and Raven assumed that he was—he, without warning, dived into Raven's open purse which she held with her other hand. All the others stared at him while doing the naughty stunt. He delved into it as he transformed into a small cat—seemingly innocuous enough—and asked something out-of-the-blue.

"Got any gum?" he inquired.

The empath responded with a look of panic and a vehement "No!" that clearly had nothing to do with the gum, but it was too late. It was the second time she did this. The purse fell to the ground, spilling its contents. One was a folded paper, pleated eight times. Beast Boy quickly picked it up, causing Raven's mortification.

Her inner miss-manners immediately kicked in with a 'He's got a dummy attitude! Stealing someone's purse is against the law! Rude, rude, rude!'

Her inner usual self scolded and kicked out her inner miss-manners with 'Shut up. I'm throwing up over here.'

"What's this?" Beast Boy unfolded the paper.

Even Robin went pale at the sight. Starfire only seemed slightly amused. Uh-oh. Big uh-oh. Once Starfire knew about what Raven had concluded…

"What are you doing?" Cyborg ran to Beast Boy, quickly snatching the paper to return it to Raven. Before he folded it, though, he continued in scolding the Changeling—who kept muttering words of fake repentance. When Cyborg decided to return it to Raven—much to her relief—he caught a glimpse of something familiar in the paper.

"Cyborg?" Raven put her hands on her hips. "Return it."

"Wait a minute." The half-man scanned the paper, and his eyes widened in horror. It was just that he finished scanning did Robin get to seize it from his grasp.

"That's rude, Cy," Robin said, folding the paper as it was. But on his face showed that said that 'I can't blame you, though…'

Cyborg looked at Robin from head to foot, as if investigating for any signs, any clues. "Just tell me: what," he pointed to the paper that Robin held in his other hand, "is that?"

"Uh," he scratched the back of his neck, a sign that shouted he was nervous. "Something, uh…a…um…"

Raven sighed at his useless stammering. "Cyborg. It is nothing of your business. It's, um…a…therapeutic, um, thing. For Starfire."

He didn't trust her. He adopted the cynical and stern voice of his. "Then why have I read something in there about poliovirus?"

It hit Starfire like a ton of icy bricks. She had read somewhere that a poliovirus had once started U.S.'s worst epidemic in history, in about the early 1900s. "Excuse me?" she said. Of course poliovirus had _nothing_ to do with her. "Raven?" A tinge of wavering from her voice indicated that she was nervous, plus utterly confused. "A therapeutic thing…for me?"

That poliovirus thing had nothing to do with her. Right?

"Poliovirus?" Beast Boy cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I thought I'd heard about it somewhere…"

"All of you are definitely carved out of stupidity," Raven dismissed, walking in the middle of the bunch of Titans. She snatched the paper from Robin, but as she did, she gave him a death glare—it told him that she needed help to escape from this. "Come on, Cyborg, Beast Boy," she commanded, snappish. "Let's talk outside."

Uh-oh. That only served as a bad sign. Raven never acted bossy. It was Robin's job. And Cyborg's. And on occasion, Beast Boy.

"What are you keeping from us?" Cyborg demanded, marching over to her with hands on his waist. Raven looked at the ground. Cyborg looked much taller up close…and way scary this way.

Raven turned fidgety. "That was nothing." No way, no way would she be able to hide the truth now.

"Raven?" Starfire inquired after a couple more of unintentional coughs. "What is wrong?"

"Starfire," Raven called her name, forcing Cyborg make way for her vision. "I'm really sorry, but…"

"Wait," Robin prompted, after he rose from his chair. "Do we really have to talk about this in front of her—"

"In front of me?" Starfire's eyes sparkled with worry.

Raven shot Robin the best death stare she could muster. _Yeah, him and his big mouth_.

"Let me see that!" Beast Boy insisted, getting the paper from Raven. The empath tried to stop him, but he was swift. He read aloud.

"_Genus enterovirus_," he read. Cyborg's eyes widened in horror. He'd once read about this. "Poliovirus serotype one positive," he continued. Starfire looked at Robin. She knew about poliovirus. And it said that she was…positive? "Serotype one is the most commonly encountered form. The pattern of the infection involved the central nervous system. It is the kind of PV which is…" his voice started to weaken, realizing that he'd let something slip like this. "PV…most closely associated…with…" he looked up, a face of fear quickly replacing his jokey façade.

Raven snatched it from him. So, how many times was the paper snatched from one another?

The Changeling looked at Starfire. He didn't want to continue on reading. It would only make her feel awful.

"Associated with what?" Starfire tensed, suddenly sitting up from her bed. Her head made her wince at the pain that suddenly whipped it, but she quickly returned to herself. After a few minutes of staring at each other, no one answered, and the room felt like an empty tomb. She started to panic. "Associated with what?" she repeated.

_Starfire hoped it wasn't associated with…_

The Changeling only stared at her, not knowing what else was there to do.

Cyborg gulped. "Do you want it from Bee," he then pointed at the nervous Boy Wonder. "Or from him?"

"Robin?" she swung her legs onto the side of the bed, getting ready to get up. Again. Raven panicked. "What is this…this terrible news…" she asked, standing up and reaching to walk to Robin. "What is this that you refrain from letting me kno—"

But as soon as her feet stood unaided, she felt that same instant ground of a spark-like force, sort of like electricity, coming from the surface and tackling her knees. Standing was unmanageable, and her feet were unmovable.

For the second time of the day, she fell.

"Starfire!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy attempted to catch her and tried to help from falling, but it was Robin who caught her.

No. It can't be. Robin didn't expect that she'd be paralyzed from only three hours. That was too fast. Her legs couldn't be atrophied only from three hours of sickness from PV!

Starfire started crying in his shoulder.

"Star?" Robin asked, patting her head in awkward composure. If there was one thing he couldn't handle, it was girls crying. Especially Starfire. Well, when he was a bit angry or overcome by some negative emotion, sometimes he didn't care about her crying. He self-consciously muttered words of comfort to make her stop her from sobbing. Ugh. _Why can't Robin be _formal_?_ Raven thought.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently stroking her hair with shaking hands. When the tips of his fingers touched her head, he felt the heat pass through his gloves immediately. She was really burning with fever.

"Acute flaccid paralysis," she whispered. "Tell me." She straightened her voice, trying to make it steady. "My legs are paralyzed, aren't they?"

"I…" Raven stammered. "I couldn't believe it. That was fast, the virus should've taken at least three to four days to spread along the nerve fiber pathways."

"Uh, Raven," Robin called. He had a voice which Raven completely understood. The voice said that Starfire didn't need some depression, exactly what she'd told him. "You're sure it isn't just a mild case of…cachexia? It isn't myelitis, right?"

"Myelitis?" Beast Boy felt totally left out. Is he the only one in here who doesn't understand these science-cy terms? "What…?"

"You don't know what that meant?" Cyborg pressed. "What, have you taken German in school or something?" He turned to Robin. "No, it isn't just cachexia."

"Cachexia?" Beast Boy inquired once again. Why can't his teammates ever speak English?

The tin-man ignored him. He knew that Beast Boy couldn't possibly _not_ know what cachexia is. It was the weakening of the muscles due to severe sickness. But maybe he forgot for a little while that Beast Boy was…Beast Boy. "Her legs…because of PV, she's paralyzed."

That did it. She expected for her friends to say something else. Starfire practically shouted. "Paralyzed?" Cyborg backed out, clearly not expecting for her to overreact, basing on her _quite_ stable condition. He knew she was afraid of silly things like thunderstorms claiming that the skies were crying, but her shouting like this freaked him out. Starfire gasped, then passed out. Robin firmly held her on both of her shoulders, shaking them involuntarily. "Starfire?" he shouted trying to wake her up. He called her name on her face, though he knew positively that it wouldn't do anything. "Starfire!"

That jolted the Titans into action. Raven immediately pushed the two, so-called 'knuckleheads'—namely Cyborg and Beast Boy—away just like the way they did to her just lately. Maybe karma _was_ fast. Both of them shouted a good-humored "Hey!" which Raven totally ignored. She sat beside Starfire on the floor, touching her shoulder as though trying to firm her. Her skin was red from high fever. "What happened, what is it?"

"She fainted!" Robin dutifully replied.

"She fainted?" Raven motioned for the two 'knuckleheads' over. "Quick, Cyborg, Beast Boy, get me a cold compress!"

* * *

**True: polio had killed hundreds—even thousands—of people, but those are the ancient times, especially from the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the modern world of the Titans, polio may have been a cinch to cure. But I tell you: there is no cure for polio. In cases of spinal polio, if the affected nerve cells are completely destroyed, paralysis will be permanent; cells that are not destroyed, but lose function temporarily, may recover within four to six weeks after onset. I just want to tell y'all that this virus was once a disease of animals transmitted to humans, _if I'm not mistaken_. Once it was transmitted to people, it became a stronger virus. Up next: the virus had been transferred to a Tamaranian. What do you think will happen?**

**Please rate from A – E. Thanks for reading! I hoped you liked it. :D I'd love it if you did_n't _answer A, so you could tell me my faults. I'm not going to be offended, I promise. I'm a writing trainee, remember? This means I ain't too personal about it.**

**Cordially yours,**

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL :)**


	3. Xilia Elixir

**Why haven't I updated recently? Things have been extremely busy…so here is the list of the causes for being your ever so punctual TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL. And I'm really, really sorry. I'm sorry, really, really sorry for posting late.**

**Excuse # 1: school. **

**Excuse # 2: school. **

**Excuse # 3: school. **

**Excuse # 4…may I change my answer to **_**school**_**?**

**[*Warning: a bunch of wrongly-spelled words ahead...ahh, the pains of using WordPad!]**

**Oh, and, I don't own anything. I'll just hope you'll enjoy this...**

* * *

Chapter Three

Xilia Elixir

* * *

He couldn't believe that the virus had spread all over her body and was now threatening to attack her central nervous system next, which was dangerously critical. And it had only been for four to five hours…

Raven just told the other Titans about it an hour ago, while Starfire was stable on her bed sleeping soundly. The empath informed them, that after several scientific studies, she found out that the poliovirus had mutated at an alarming rate. She proposed this must be once the virus entered the foreign and extraterrestrial alien. Analyzing the sequence, complete paralysis may occur in the next five hours. By the time, her nerve neurons are destroyed, and it may be permanent or temporary. Raven also predicted that her arms could be slightly atrophied, too.

Eventually, after two days…the virus may find its way to her heart, which could cause her certain death, after a serious heart attack.

The way Raven said it…she was so miserable that Robin almost thought that this calm and collected being was actually being pessimistic. She rarely ever had been pessimistic. It was a bad sign.

But he just can't share her misery and negativity, and neither can his teammates. Hope is the first thing that they must practice and do.

Raven suspected that this may have been the result of ignoring that warning that there were several cases of wild polio reported. Robin only insisted that they ignore this, considering that they urgently had to recruit some younger heroes against the annihilation of the Brotherhood of Evil. Darn that Boy Wonder. Starfire was capable to attract more men than trouble, bless her. But Robin attracts more trouble than help.

He had practically pleaded the Titans—indirectly—to find a way to get her out of this. The disease is highly fatal, and it could kill her in a minimum of two days. He just couldn't forgive himself for letting something slip like this. It was his fault Starfire was struggling for the breath of life, and if she died—which she totally wouldn't, Robin guaranteed—it could be possible that he'd kill himself next. It was pathetic, really, and Raven could've enjoyed the moment of watching him almost fall on his knees begging her to do something. But who could blame him? All of them felt exactly the same about Starfire.

No. No one was more worried and frantic as Robin.

Each Titan was now assigned jobs for therapeutic concerns. Raven, being the team's natural healer, researched for antidotes in her several books. She did this through thorough scanning. Cyborg, with his trusty assistant, Beast Boy, is in the medical laboratory tasked to make a hundred-percent effective vaccine so every one of them wouldn't be infected. Robin self-proclaimed that he should monitor Starfire's progress from now on. Although Raven had the feeling that things would go downhill from hereon…

Robin shook his head. He promised himself he wouldn't share Raven's misery.

Opening the door which led to Starfire's room, he saw her lay on her own round pink bed. He didn't know why he was in _her room_—all he knew was that he was supposed to be on the _medical bay _right now. Maybe she asked to be transferred? Probably she wasn't comfortable in the medical room.

She was wearing her bright fuchsia nightgown, and she was doing progress very nicely. Everything was on control. His teammates were working together to help her recover, and Robin was monitoring her every move. But suddenly…

The ECG scanner made a strange 'beep' sound that he'd never heard of. The sound was so thin, so high-pitched, that he wanted for the beeping to stop. He looked over at Starfire. She was breathing rapidly, catching her breath. Robin, even if he didn't want to admit it, started to panic by cocking a confused eyebrow.

"Starfire?" he asked, walking over to her and slowly stroking her hair.

The strange 'beep' sound continued. Where was that coming from? He looked at the monitor. Strange little waves kept on going up and down, to the rhythm of her heartbeat. What _was _wrong? Was _something _even wrong?

Then suddenly, he knew what was wrong. The amplitude of those said waves instantly plummeted, until it formed a straight, startling line.

"What?" Robin was dubious and alarmed. He looked over a Starfire.

It was to the Boy Wonder's horror.

She wasn't _breathing_. She wasn't breathing!

"Starfire?" he quickly held her hand and looked at it. It was pale, not the normal, vivid, orangey shade that it usually had. He looked at her face, which was lifeless and still. He looked back at the hand, which he felt was cold, and back at her face. Then, reality sank in.

The 'beep' sound went straight, lethal and chilling, and Robin looked at the monitor again. All he saw was a flat line stroked through it.

Wait a hot second. She was flat-lining. Why didn't he notice that earlier?!

"No," he muttered. "Starfire, hold on!" The last part of his sentence sounded more of like a desperate plea. Both of his hands now held hers, and his grip tightened around it. "Don't go, stay with me, Star!"

The ECG's bloodcurdling scream was his only response.

"Star, I'm here. I'm here," he kept assuring her, frantically stroking her hair as he laid her head in his arms. "No," he kept muttering to himself. He was begging Starfire to fight for it. "No. Please, no."

Suddenly, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy came in barging into the room with sad faces.

Cyborg looked at Robin gravely, and after a second of that eye-contact, he broke the silence by announcing, "She's gone, Robin."

"Deal with it." This statement was from Raven.

"There's nothing we could do." Beast Boy's eyes were lackluster.

Cyborg then said, "I wanted to tell you earlier, but-"

"No!" Robin shouted.

He gasped. Robin instantly woke up from his nightmare and found himself seated at a table beside Starfire's bed, in the medical bay. He found out that he fell asleep on a wooden desk. He looked over at the monitor. The impulses were normal. He looked over at Starfire. She was breathing. He kneeled, and held her one hand. The hand was still vivid in color, but still freezing from fever.

Oh, mercy.

She was alive.

He flopped back down in his chair, boneless with relief. He exhaled a large puff of air from his cheeks, still traumatized from the nightmare. He couldn't believe it. The dream seemed real, and he felt like it was going to happen soon. He had this strange feeling…

No. What, exactly, was he thinking? That nightmare _wasn't _going to _happen _in real _life _either way, period. Not when he's _here _to protect her. He wouldn't let that happen. Not in a million years.

He glanced at the clock, and found out that it was minutes past midnight. Robin touched Starfire's forehead, checking her temperature. It had reached fifty-four degrees Celsius just lately, considering her solar-powered body and the fever. Her cheeks were still flushed, her breathing was still rapid, and there was no sign of calmness in her. The way Starfire was suffering pitied him. He wished he was the one who had to take this.

Wait a minute. Something was wrong. As soon as he touched her forehead, she went stiff against his hand.

"Starfire?" He asked. She began shaking her head furiously, and drew the blankets closer to her face, as if she wanted to hide. Her panting came out as a bad sign of hyperventilation, which worried him. "Starfire?" he repeated, touching her hand. He wondered what she was dreaming about.

"No," she whimpered. "Please stop."

His want to know what Starfire was dreaming about grew stronger.

"Star, you're dreaming," he assured. He was suddenly worried. If her dream was similar to that of his, he has got to find a way so that it doesn't get deeper into the story. "Snap out of it."

She continued mumbling words in a language that he couldn't identify, but he presumed they must be Tamaranian. "I got you, Star. There's no need to worry." He grabbed both of her hands to him, and squeezed them gently. Tremors shook her body, but Robin's hold was firm. "It's okay."

She gasped, her eyes snapping open. She looked at the direction of the first person she saw in her surroundings. It was Robin, who was smiling at her as an assuring gesture that nothing was wrong. Tears welled in her eyes, and before long, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Star, it's okay, it's okay." He released of her hand and started stroking her hair. "You're safe."

"Robin…" she clutched the blankets closer to her. "I-I…I was having the m-mare of nights, and…I was…"

"I know," he murmured. "It's okay."

Still sobbing, she said, "H-how could you ever pretend to me that everything will be alright?"

"Star. It will. It has to." _It _has _to_.

"Why do you t-try so hard when you know that it is impossible?" Her voice still shook from the memories of her bad dream.

"What do you mean 'try so hard'?" Robin asked as if it was not a big deal. And it _wasn't _a big deal. "Of course, Star, you're my friend."

"Thank you, friend Robin. That means much to me."

If only she knew. If only she knew how much Robin wanted to be in her place. If only she knew how much he valued her, even if she was a creature who looked like the creature she was in her transformation period. If only she knew how Robin wanted to strangle himself for not taking care of her.

"Star." Robin smiled, his eyes asymmetrical, in a good way. When he smiled to the Police or to the Mayor every time they defeated a villain, only his mouth moved. But this smile...it showed a twinkle in his eyes. Starfire was very observant. Then, involuntarily, Robin continued, "Anytime, okay?"

Starfire's face brightened a little. "Okay."

Trying to catch her breath and fight against this fever, Starfire laid her head down, and closed her eyes. She tried to lear her mind off the negative things that had kept bothering her for the last hour. But she couldn't. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. She looked at the Boy Wonder who was just simply staring at her. Gently, she said, "Robin...I am..."

"What?" he asked, softly, cocking his head to the side.

Starfire shivered. "Terrified."

"Terrified?" Robin thought of any possible thing that she may be terrified of. Nothing came into his mind. "Of what?"

"I am scared..." she bit her tongue, then finally decided that she must tell him. "I am scared to die."

Robin smiled. He waved the idea away, and his face said something like _'Nah'_. "Please, Starfire, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. Let me worry about that. Just you relax."

Starfire half-doubted it."Really?" Her voice was a bit watery. "You will...stay with me and make sure that everything would be alright?"

What else was there to say? "Yes, Star. I promise. I won't let you die. There are three things for that reason." He raised three fingers. "Because first thing, it's not going to happen. And second thing-it's not going to happen. And third thing-I won't let it happen. Did I get it clear?"

She nodded, breathing quick as she closed her eyes. She put the blankets closer to her, and trembled a little every now and then.

"Wouldn't you..." Robin scratched the back of his neck. "Wouldn't you be able to sleep better if I weren't around-"

Starfire's eyes suddenly opened wide, and grasped his hand that was laying just beside her. She sat up erect, still breathing rapidly. Her heeks were flushed and her face was moist, not caring that shouting at this time-one o'clock in the morning-is not appropriate. "You can't!"

Robin was taken aback. "You should really sleep..."

"No," Starfire insisted. She wanted to look at his eyes, but she was still gulping small amounts of air in short intervals and is having a hard time doing it.

"You won't be able to recover then!" Robin looked oncerned, and put one hand on her shoulder.

"If I shall sleep...and when night will come...you would have been gone to the investigation room again." She abruptly raised her head and looked at Robin, her eyes damp, spiritually fierce but physically weak. "So..." she squeezed his gloved hand harder. "I will...stay awake."

Robin was slightly irritated. "Are you stupid? Go to sleep!"

Starfire was shocked, and he just let Robin to take both her shoulders and push her down on her bed to make her head fall on her pillow.

"Do you remember what you've always been telling me? Don't force yourself! Don't be reckless! Do it in moderation! I'm now throwing those exact words back at you! Just sleep! Rest and don't get up for twelve hours!"

Having him on top of her was romantic...Starfire thought...but him shouting at her wasn't. "But Robin-"

"I'll...stay here, I'll never leave you here." It seemed as though he only forced his tongue to move and say it. He didn't like saying those kind of words...but anything for the conversation to end. "Yes! Was that clear? Did that make everything better?"

Uh-oh. It was obvious that she was charmed by the sentence.

Starfire's dull eyes glowed the normal glow that they usually had. (Robin was also very observant.)

Robin's froze. Blood started going up his face. What was that he said again? He didn't say what he _thinks _he said, did he? What was it that made him say that? _What happened to the oxygen in the Tower?_

_I'll stay here, I'll never leave you here_, he said. Did that sound too..._quixotic_? Where did that come from? He hoped no one heard it. There aren't surveillance cameras here, right? Good. He was safe there.

"Robin, I..." Starfire gulped, and her face was suddenly dark.

"What?" he asked, still blushing and sulking.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to answer, because unfortunately, he didn't need a surveillance camera. "Whoo!" Cyborg appeared from behind the curtains, throwing his fist in the air. "Three-point shot! Excellent shoot, Romeo."

Self-conscious, he suddenly dropped Starfire's hand by instinct. Starfire almost giggled, only too weak to do it. She smiled at Robin's mortification, in a good-humored way.

It appeared that Cyborg and Beast Boy had been apparently hiding all the time behind the curtains.

_I hate you, _curtains_._

Robin reddened. As if he wasn't red enough. _Had they been listening to their conversation all along? _He hoped he didn't sound too..._romantic._

Romantic! He actually used the word! Maybe the right term was...sentimental? Right, _sentimental_.

"'I'll stay here, I'll never leave you here', he said," Beast Boy mocked, reading the Boy Wonder's mind accurately. He nudged Robin's arm. "Nice move, Shakespeare."

"Wait." Cyborg paused. "You knew who Shakespeare was?"

"No. I just read it sometime on the cover of Raven's book."

"Why are you two here?" Robin was mad at these two so-called 'knuckleheads'. Raven invented the rather-but-not-enough suitable name for them. Well, if they didn't answer with the right answer, he'll probably knock their heads together. "Or more appropriately, why didn't you two knock?" Great. He was using Raven's line.

"We knocked twice, got no answer." _Hold on._ Robin remembered saying that line to Raven. Cyborg continued. "Figured Star must be asleep, so we crept in to check her."

"But anyway," Beast Boy piped in, "Cy here wants you to come with him in the lab."

Robin stood. He observed Cyborg wearing an operating gown, a pair of gloves, and a baby blue bonnet. Just lately, Beast Boy laughed behind Cyborg when he saw him wear a baby blue bonnet. The Changeling knew that he shouldn't laugh, because the suit he was wearing was just appropriate for working inside the biotechnology laboratory, especially when working with vaccines, but he couldn't help it. Robin looked at Cyborg. "What for?"

"Vaccine's done for all of y'all." Cyborg grinned. He turned to Starfire. "Girl," he said, his voice more gentle. "We're not gonna leave you here alone. We don't care, even if under such circumstances. If you have any problems, feel free to tell us, any one of us."

_Circumstances_…it was maybe the longest word Beast Boy ever understood from his teammates.

"We'll keep chugging alongside ya. We'll lick this." That concluded Cyborg's short speech. He motioned for the others. "Right, guys?"

They nodded.

"You betcha," the Changeling gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yes...we shall do the process of..._licking_...the thing..."

Starfire's flushed cheeks colored a little more, slightly embarrassed at her uncertainty for the use of words, smiling at their direction. Robin smiled back. Then, Cyborg gently put his hand on her forehead through her bangs. He sighed.

"You're fever's still not going down. It isn't going down at all." Yes, he was mechanical, but his human part could still feel. He turned to Beast Boy. "Yo! Grass stain!"

"Yeah?"

"Get Star some water!" He turned to the ill alien. "And, I'll cook you some hot soup just for ya when we get back. You okay here alone?"

"Most certainly. I appreciate your concern."

She watched her friends leave, and she let her head fall to the white, comfy pillow, and drifted back to sleep. Well, _pretended _to drift back to sleep.

* * *

Cyborg walked with Robin to the medical laboratory, and wanted the Boy Wonder to examine the finished product he just made.

"—so I think it'll be effective," Cyborg was saying. "One hundred-plus one-percent."

"That's great, Cyborg. Thanks."

"Hey. Anything for our l'il lady."

Robin was silent. Only their footsteps could be heard, echoing in the hallways.

"Cy...can you...would you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"I...need an advice." Robin wanted to choke. He hated it when he sounded like this.

Cyborg brightened. "So you're _finally _going to ask Starfire out?" He kidded. "That's great. I've been an expert for giving advice to first-time suitors-"

"I'm not a suitor!" Robin shouted, only too loudly, that the voice echoed inside the gray, silver hallways for six times.

Cyborg was quiet, clearly hurt by knowing that he mortally offended Robin. _He was just kidding_! He was _way _overreacting, making him sound _too _obvious.

Robin finally noticed that he was now menacingly towering over the amateur medical biotechnology scientist. He backed out, then scratched his neck.

"Sorry. I was just..." he groaned. "Aggh, forget it. I'll figure it out myself."

The half-man saw the problem in his friend's eyes. Well, the mask of his eyes. Being his all-time friend all these times, he knew how to read his face.

"Hey. Did something happen?"

"No." He blushed even more. How he hated blushing. "As I said, forget it."

"What's going on with you and Starfire?" _Oh, goodness_. He was a great mind reader. "Did you two fight?"

"I..." Robin sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"So you're asking me to give you advice to court her-"

"This is not about courtship!" Robin bellowed. "This has nothing, absolutely _nothing _to do with courtship!"

"I was just kidding!"

With the baby blue bonnet he was wearing, and the raised hands Cyborg was showing, Robin wanted to laugh. After all, what was the baby blue bonnet for? It's not like he had any hair.

But he just remained serious, trying to hold the laughs for later.

"Starfire...you think she's...faking that smile?"

"Faking the _what_?" Cyborg was clearly lost.

"That smile. She's faking that smile."

"What smile?"

"That smile before we left!" Yes, Robin was _very _observant. "Geez, Cy, could it be possible you're slower?"

Cyborg thought of a smile. Then, he got it. "Ah, okay, okay! What about the smile?"

"Because...now here's the thing. Lately, at five o'clock? She went inside my room."

"Yes?"

"And, I was pressurizing, forcing my patience."

"You're patience." Cyborg repeated in a bored voice.

"Yes, my patience. And, she was like, 'Let's go see the sunset!'-" he slightly imitated the words the way Starfire would say it- "and I forced her to go away."

"Uh-huh?"

"She didn't listen. She suddenly wanted to go to that boring tea house of that. You know, the one on the side of the street...?"

"The Tea Coach House," he supported.

"Right. Then I got mad, and...she got mad, then...I blew all over."

"You blew all over," Cyborg repeated, confused. "You...blew all over?"

"Yes! Then, I said, but not intentionally, I called her a...a..."

"A what? Come on, Robin, sometimes you're horribly insecure-especially when it comes to a girl, _especially _when it comes to _Starfire_-"

"I called her a troq!" he hissed, under his breath, saying the word out with menace.

It sank in. "You called her a what-!" It was more of a statement than a question. Then, Cyborg smiled gently. "You insecure, clueless hero of all Jump City. She'll forgive you."

"How do you know? I think if _you _spat that _word _in my face, I think..." he slowed down. "I would feel just like her."

"That's because you don't know your friends well enough," he snapped. "That smile you're talking about...it's a true, genuine loving smile. I saw it myself. You're the one who's being a dork all the time-you're, uh, pressganging yourself."

_Pressganging..._what a word_._

"How do you know? It's not like you're some psychic like Raven for you to know."

"I know, because...I've been with her in quite a long time." Cyborg meant it when he said it. "I've granted some of her wishes, and made her happy. I've seen her pass that kind of smile at me countless of times. I always try to make something for my friends...something that would make them happy."

Robin was guilt-stricken.

"You just...need to spend some of your time with her," Cyborg waved his hands here and there to express his message, which wasn't working very well. Robin just continued to hide in guilt. "Not just staring at those 'radiation-emitter' of yours, as Starfire would say it." He put quotation marks in the air to emphasize 'radiation-emitter'. "Why don't you try it?" The mechanic put his heavy hand on his shoulder, making it purposefully light. "Make her happy."

Robin couldn't take it.

Both boys remained quiet all the way to the laboratory. When they reached a particular hall, they found Raven in front of the door of their destination, holding a book. A _big _one.

When Raven saw Cyborg, however, who was still in the baby blue bonnet, she restrained a laugh, and focused herself in scolding them first.

"Where have you two been?" Raven was so asked, trying not to act excited, the kind of excited that fits Raven properly. She was holding the book in one hand, and she was running towards Cyborg and Robin.

"What?" Cyborg inquired.

"Why did you lock the lab door? I was planning to check your work."

"Um. You might get some microorganism in the samples," he explained carefully. He looked at Raven's sweated face. "And we don't want to get infected with that sweat."

Beast Boy appeared from behind Robin, after bringing a glass of water in Starfire's room. He examined Raven. "Wow," he breathed. It was maybe the first time he saw her sweating from something rather pointless in her own Raven-y way.

"Look." Raven opened the book. The three male Titans huddled behind her. "Read it."

Beast Boy did. He needed to tip-toe to be able to read properly, so Raven made him a favor and lowered it slightly in to his hands. _Wow_, Raven thought. The Changeling smelled horrible. And when Raven said 'horrible', she meant _horrible_. Like rotten pizza and used school socks. "A medicine that can cure incurable diseases," he read. "A potion called Xilia Elixir works like a powerful magic that can kill demons inside a person's body."

"It's read _ex-silya_, not _silya_," Raven snapped. "See? It's a potion that could heal all types of diseases. This is just what we need. It said there that the potion is only made similar to tea, so that shouldn't be a problem. And you just have to make Starfire drink it. The first ingredient is simple-you'll only need water." Suddenly, Raven's eyes looked away. "But the second ingredient..."

"I'm sorry!" Beast Boy hissed, referring to the pronunciation of the word 'Xilia', whatever that meant, good-naturedly. "You're so sensitive."

"Uh-oh," Cyborg muttered, referring to the sentence he just read from the giant, dusty medicine book. Then, he put a finger on the book, and said, "It has a 'however' in it."

"Only one Hyacinth _Xilia_-" Beast Boy carefully bit the word out, the emphasis directed to Raven, doing the favor for the other Titans by reading it-"is needed to complete the potion. However, this rare and magnificent flower is found and taken care of only in the highest room of the Sky Tower...in Azarath?"

"What?" Cyborg hollered, particularly at no one. "We're going…to _Azarath_?"

Raven let her voice trail off. "It's the only way…"

"We have to," Robin concluded, backing out, not giving the decision a second thought. But, how was he to act? There was no other choice. "We're going, and that's final."

"Robin, wait." Raven pulled out a handkerchief out of nowhere, and wiped her sweaty forehead. Then, she made it disappear. "Guys. Read it some more."

The black magic that once engulfed the book was gone, and it was suddenly dropped in the arms of Beast Boy. Beast Boy found that the book was large and heavy. He struggled a little, then contained his balance. He glared at Raven, who just shrugged and turned away.

Beast Boy turned the leaf, which revealed a yet another dusty, brown, crumpled paper material. The dust flew directly to Beast Boy's nose, and sneezed.

Cyborg burped. He mouthed a small 'excuse me' which anyone wasn't buying. Beast Boy restrained a laugh. That was a new record, in the wrong place and wrong time. And with the baby blue _bonnet _and the _burp_...

Raven groaned, and rubbed her temples in her headache-y way.

Robin tapped his metal-soled feet on the linoleum ground, maintaining his patience.

Beast Boy then cleared his throat, opera-style. This relaxed demeanor irritated Robin. _Was this the way they must act in a situation like this? _

The Changeling scanned the words, still with a smile on his face. He was mumbling the words inaudibly, and his smile faded as he reached the climax.

Robin sensed something was wrong. He didn't know if he must feel irritated or happy for Beast Boy's suddenly-changed demeanor. The worried frown on Beast Boy's face explained everything.

"Um. Beast Boy?" Robin reached his hand to land it on his shoulder. "Is something..."

"We have no choice," he muttered in response, too quickly that he thought that Beast Boy didn't even hear his question.

Raven didn't want to, but the content of the article in her book made her turn nearly as white as sheet.

Bad signs. "What does it say there?" Robin inquired gently, urging him to stop from shaking.

"There's a payment," Beast Boy said, serious-looking. It almost scared Cyborg. _Almost_. "Before you enter this so-called Sky Tower...one member of a challenging group should...should...

"Die."

Cyborg's jaw dropped. "You think the word 'payment' is a little...harsh..."

Every present Titan stiffened. "What do you mean _what_?" Robin commanded, dropping his hand from Beast Boy's shoulder, as if he didn't quite hear what was just said, trying to stabilize his voice from nervousness. He _really _had a bad feeling about this...

"You need to die first before you enter the Tower," Raven explained, grave. "It's...it's either we let Starfire in this...condition...or...one of us must die."

It was Robin's turn for the blood to drain from his face. Then, he laughed.

It was the kind of laugh that doesn't mean that he was caught by a funny joke. It wasn't that kind of wild laugh that explained his glee about an amusement or entertainment. It wasn't the kind of a triumphant and satisfied laugh after solving a mystery or ending a crime. It was a dangerous laugh that explained that he was dubious and mad. When he calmed down 'a little', he pretended to wipe a tear from one eye. All present Titans-except Raven-was scared Robin might blow up. Laughing like this was mad. _Mad_.

What kind of person laughs when you know that one of your best friend must sacrifice his-or-her own life to save another friend's life? Nobody.

And Robin was being Mr. Nobody.

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy. Beast Boy looked at Raven. Raven looked at Robin, and Robin looked at Raven.

"Couldn't we just give up a rabbit or something?" Robin's voice slightly shook, and it almost came out as a small squeak.

"No. A _person_. A person's _soul_," Raven elaborated, backing away from Robin, as if he was a person who just came out of the mental ward. "An animal's soul is not strong enough for sacrifice."

"One of us should..._die_." Beast Boy looked at Robin. "First, give your soul _up_, and that's the VIP ticket to the journey of meeting the most ominous guardian of the Sky Tower-the one guarding the flowers himself, named Xatura, who had the ability to turn his opponents to..._stone_. Permanent. Stone. Like, stone forever."

* * *

**Was that a good cliffhanger or what? Well, I don't care if it's a bad cliffy or what. At least I am halfway to the end. Do you like it so far? Please rate from A - E! As I said, I won't be too personal about it. Geez. ;)**

**Up next: Is there anything Robin wouldn't do for Starfire? Well, you might say 'common sense', but, who knows, right? Find out in the next chapter! (The next chapter may take... a month? Anyhow, I'll try**_**-try-**_**to bring it up next week, which, maybe would be quite a challenge. I am, after all, having this race against time.) Well, currently I am editing Chapter Four as we speak...  
**

**Acknowledgements:**

***This chapter was inspired by Miss light is in the dark's story, **_**(Accidentally) Forgetting You**_**, a chapter titled 'Heartbeat' if I wasn't mistaken...? Please y'all, read it, read it, read it!**

***I also want to shed some light for Miss Kevlar Masquerade's **_**Night Terrors**_**. I command you-read it. It was her wish for me to fulfill. **

***'Xilia' came from the name of a game called Tales of Xillia, but MY Xilia has a single 'L'. But...credits to you, Tales of Xillia. [You know this game? I just **_**love **_**Milia Maxwell...she's so pretty.]**

***The term 'Sky Tower' came from the Nintendo game **_**Pokémon: Red Rescue Team**_**. Lots of credits to you, too!**

**Quote of the Chapter:**

"**Fine writers should split hairs together, and sit side by side, like friendly apes, to pick fleas from each other's fur." [Logan Pearshall Smith]**

**Your ever punctual chica,**

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL, T_G_W_W_T_T_F_S :)))**


	4. Departure

**I was supposed to post it last Saturday... but these mid-term exams started blocking my way, and I had to review, urging my mother to ban me from this for a while! ((Ahe-ahem...five days isn't a while.)) But I am thoroughly committed to this story, dat's right. I know I'm acting like I'm actually **_**someone **_**in here, which I'm not...but, I'm just human, everyone!**

**Warning: lcak of splelchcek (especially for words with letter 'c'-my keyboard is not working properly), grammar, etc. And if you noticed this chapter is done in kind of a rush-because I only write thirty minutes if I have my free-time, then go back to studying lessons (we have quizzes every day, and if not, activities or actual and recitation exams)-I am sorry for that.**

**I don't own anything. I don't even think I own anything in here, except the plot. I thought I said I'll only say it once?!**

-.-

* * *

Chapter Four

Departure

"One of us should...die." Beast Boy looked at Robin, giving him a face which meant that he understood how he felt. "First, give your soul up, and that's the VIP ticket to the journey of meeting the most ominous guardian of the Sky Tower-the one guarding the flowers himself, named Xatura, who had the ability to turn his opponents to...stone. Permanent. Stone. Like, stone forever."

Raven kicked Beast Boy's foot. The green teen yelped.

"Beast Boy." Cyborg glared at him, complete with a scowl. "Will you stop from helping Robin to worsen his panic? Thanks."

Robin denied it by shaking his head. "I'm not panicking."

Raven put her hands on her hips. "You know, you're way overreacting-"

"This is not an overreaction," Robin snapped, "because these reactions are just right for the current situation-"

"Shut it, all of you." Raven rubbed her temples-in her headache-y way-rolling her eyes. "Here's the good news. Beast Boy's explanation is wrong, I tell you. All you need to do is...one member of a group of five people must be turned into stone as a 'ticket'-" Raven put quotation marks in the air as she said 'ticket'- "but not permanently. That's just in case the other members would be able to escape, and the guardians inside the Sky Tower won't somehow feel lost. And if that person's other members would be able to survive and get an Xilia, they could use the antidote to transform that stone-person human again. And remember, the Xilia's power could be used for three times, so, yeah."

"Oh, so Beast Boy understood it wrongly?" Cyborg asked. "That's why you kicked him on the foot?"

Robin laughed again, ignoring his half-robotic friend. He pointed an accusing finger at Raven. "That's good news for you? It doesn't even make sense!"

"For us, maybe, but for the guardians..."

"What, do the guardians eat people's souls or what?" Cyborg stretched out his hands to emphasize his statement.

"No," Raven replied. "As the green idiot said-"

"That's me," Beast Boy interrupted, raising his right hand in pride.

"Right," Raven lashed on. "So as I was saying, the green idiot was right-it is a kind of a payment."

Robin was speechless. All of them are speechless.

"Robin, wait," Raven declared, reading Robin's mind, both metaphorically and practically. "I didn't tell you this news so one of us would die, temporarily. We don't want to take the risk. I want...for us to, uh..." Now she didn't know what. "Um...think this through..."

"What?" Robin bit out. "Just stand here and watch Starfire...and let Starfire in this condition?" He didn't say the word 'die'-because he didn't want to admit it-and changed the phrase to 'let Starfire in this condition' instead. "If you could take it, I couldn't," he continued.

That pissed Raven. "_We _could take seeing Starfire with those horrible _demons _acting up inside of her?" Raven hollered at Robin. "Who do you think _you _are?"

Beast Boy was offended too. He looked hurt. "No way, dude," he said. "We worry about Star as much as you do. We just..."

"We're humans too, Robin," Cyborg added gently, although he was kind of scarred for Robin's words. "We...just have different ways of acting up."

Robin replayed his words repeatedly in his head, then realized that he said something insulting. "Wait, guys...I wasn't saying that you were ignorant about her...I was saying-"

"No!" Starfire's voice interrupted, and her tone told the Titans that she fought for a louder voice. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Robin turned around and saw the alien holding the IV pole with all her strength, although she actually didn't have any more. She limped as she walked, her legs shaking a little. "Friends, please do not fight-uff!"

Her grip suddenly went weak on the pole, and lost her balance. Paralysis had already taken over her legs, and soon will her arms. Apparently, she had been struggling to find her way to where her friends were. Maybe she heard Robin shout like he was talking to the person on the seventh mountain?

"Starfire!" Robin, on instinct, ran to help her. The other Titans followed behind, bursting with questions with a similar theme.

"What are you doing? "Raven demanded.

"Why are you out of bed?" Cyborg inquired.

"I thought you were asleep!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Are you okay?" This, from Robin. "Does anything hurt? You're not sprained, are you?" Then, he lifted her chin. "Look at me, look at me," he blew. "Do you have a concussion?" That would be a major problem. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He held up three fingers.

"Robin, you are holding up three fingers," she said. The rest of the team sighed with relief. She jerked her head away from his fingers that touched her chin. "Thank you ever so."

"Star," Robin was slightly hurt by the gesture, but slightly glad she did it before something _else _happens. He put his right knee on the ground, and stood up. He looked down on her (which wasn't romantic). "I'm not trying to be rude, but, why are you here?"

"Maybe the real question is, why are you so worried about me?" she asked, as if nothing was wrong about her. She wanted to glare at the Boy Wonder, but didn't have the power. "Robin, I am not allowing you to go. Not ever." She sounded like she meant it. "Not any of you. I just want all of you here."

Starfire had her eyes closed, and was still catching her breath. Her cheeks were pitifully flustered, and she felt uncomfortably warm all the time.

Beast Boy scratched his neck. "Star-"

"Cyborg, please help me up." Starfire held up one hand, and Cyborg reached and helped her to her feet. Starfire, once stood up, held tightly on the IV pole that she brought with her. "Robin. It would mean that you hate me if you go. It would mean that all of you hate me if you go to this...Sky Tower...you were talking about. I am not going to let you forgo your life because of me, because of my carelessness for ever catching this 'mutant' disease that you are telling me, because of my being a burden for you."

"Star, who told you you're a burden?" Cyborg reached out his arms. "You're a treasure for us, and we're doing this not because of anything else. We're doing this because we love you. And that catching about polio is not about carelessness, it was just a freak coincidence."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, nodding. "And who told you that we're going to listen to you?"

Raven nudged Beast Boy. That wasn't very well said.

"And who told you that we'll forgo our life?" Robin asked, a smile forming on his face. Was it forced, shaking, hesitant, Starfire wasn't sure. "No. We're going to defeat Xatura, no matter what happens. We're going to go to that Sky Tower, no matter what happens. We're going to get that Xilia for you, no matter what happens. Don't you think about it, Star. As I said, let us worry."

"Uh, and before I forget to remind you," Raven raised a finger, "it's pronounced _satura_, not _ex_-_satura_."

It was Beast Boy's turn to nudge Raven. It was not helping.

"But Robin-"

"Raven." Robin looked and started walking away. "Assist Starfire to her quarters." He seemed kind of hesitant, but went with the decision. "I...I will call the Titans East."

"Come on, Starfire," Raven offered her arm on which Starfire could hang on to. "Let's go."

Tears were already falling from Starfire's eyes. She looked for Robin. "But-"

But he was already gone.

-.-

Robin pushed the opening door sequence, and the doors hissed open obediently. He was tired of thinking, tired of working, tired of researching, tired of keeping his eyelids apart. He wanted to sleep. If it would have been possible, he could've begged the authorized to let him sleep a long, deep sleep. He was exhausted.

Okay. So, what had happened, again?

They had just returned from the fight with the Brotherhood of Evil. Beast Boy found out about Terra. Geo-Force came and told them she was the princess of Markovia. _(with reference to Teen Titans Go! issue # 51 Metamorphosis) _They turned Jump City upside-down in wasted effort to search for the white-shape-shifting creature. He and Starfire had a fight over when they should eat and what they should do. Starfire unpredictably had been proved positive with malevolent mutated poliovirus serotype one. And now, the only way to heal her was to get an Xilia flower, not in this dimension, but in Azarath.

And it could be possible that going there would only be a waste of time, and, not to mention, life.

Robin pulled a chair aggressively, and sat down. He let his head fall hard and loud on his desk that some light sheets of paper went out of place.

_How much absurd would his day continue?_

He blew the air from his cheeks. He closed his eyes for a minute, then put his head in his hands. It was a life-or-death situation. As Raven said...

_"It's either we let Starfire in this condition...or one of us would die."_

Yes. It was decided. He's going to go, no matter what. Even if Starfire wouldn't be so nice with it.

Getting up from his chair, he went to the small table, which had the Titan communicator on it, beside his simply made bed, tempting and inviting. Sleep...he wanted to close his eyes...even if just for a minute...he really need to rest...

_"Don't force yourself!" _He heard his own voice echo inside his head. _"Don't be reckless! Do it in moderation!"_

He shook his head, ignoring his own voice. He stole one longing glance from his bed, then looked away.

He took his Titan-communicator. He dialed Bumblebee, and she answered merely two or three seconds after ringing.

"Bumblebee, it's Robin," he said. Then, he heard her yawn. Her video was off, and when she turned it on, Robin saw her rubbing her barely-capable-of-being-opened eyes. "Um...I hope I'm not calling too..." He stole a glance from the clock. 2:22. _Great_. "...early."

"No...it's okay..." The Moreno replied, half-lying, quite sleepily. "I was...about to get up, anyway." Then, she sat erect on her bed. "Is there any trouble?"

Robin, unusual of him, laughed. "No, nothing like an endangered town or something like that." Then, his gaze grew serious. "It's...it's about a teammate. Can you do us a favor?"

Bumblebee suddenly was alert. "Me?" she asked, pointing to herself, as if there was someone else the Boy Wonder was talking to. "What can I help?

"Actually, I need the Titans East." Well, he barely needed Speedy-he and him don't get along easy-but he didn't want to leave one out. "May I borrow you for a day or two? There's something important we need to do."

"Wow, that was fast," Bumblebee exhaled, thinking about the Brotherhood of Evil. "What is it?

"It's Starfire. She's...um...sick."

"She must be tired from the travel," Bumblebee replied. _If only she knew_, Robin thought. "So you want us to take care of her?" She seemed to like the idea. "Do you have any important business to do?"

"No, it's...more than taking care of her," the Boy Wonder answered, too rapidly that the dark-skinned lady needed a second or two to decide if she should raise an eyebrow or what. But she did. "It's...um, could I talk to Aqualad first?"

_Aqualad_...he needed to talk to him and be sure that he would come over, because he is the Titan that would gain an advantage in the Sky Tower. Sky Tower is all about clouds, right? And clouds are all about water. Fire-type Titans would be weak inside.

"Sure..." Bumblebee looked upward. "But I think he's on the roof doing laps right now. But why the big rush? When do we need come over?"

"In five minutes," he said. He heard Bumblebee release a small gasp. Maybe she just understood the seriousness of the situation. "I'll tell you guys later." Robin smiled at her. "Thanks, Bumblebee. I'll ring you if I need you to do something else. Robin, out."

Robin snapped his communicator shut, putting it in his belt. He returned to his table, and saw a pack of post-it notes. He grabbed a pen, scribbled on a bright, neon-green leaf, and posted it on the part of his wall where he could see it easily. There were newspapers, photos of villains, articles about the Titans' valiance, and so on and so forth on his wall, but these dull-colored tabloids were outstood by the neon brilliance of the small post-it.

He walked out of the room, and planned to prepare a meeting with his teammates. He closed the door, leaving his room dark with only the pale moonlight spilled from the windows, and ran out of the hallways.

The bright-green post-it note said, '5:00, Tea Coach House with Titans'.

It was an indication that Robin wasn't planning on failing.

-.-

"I told you to not leave," Starfire, eyes puffy and red from tears, voice husky from crying, deadpanned. "But you still are."

Robin sighed. He'd just entered the room, and he thought that she was already asleep. It was already two in the morning, and the Titans East are already here. The Boy Wonder asked permission if he could see Starfire for a minute before they leave, but now it turned out that they are going to have this stubborn talk over again.

"Star." Robin scratched the back of his neck as he walked towards her. "We're doing this for you. Aren't you happy about that?" His voice sounded kind of hurt, but firm in a certain way.

"Happy?" Starfire turned her head dangerously at Robin. The Boy Wonder took one step backward. Up close, when he saw her smashed hair, wrinkled clothes and depressed expression, he realized that she was angry. And it was obvious she'd been sobbing all the time. _And it only had been for thirty_-minutes_..._

"You think I am...happy?" Starfire's voice was husky, but demanding. "Happy to see you go? Happy that I would be here, all alone? Happy because I will live in guilt knowing that I have thrown you in this situation? Happy because I will not be able to rest in peace, having the knowledge that you hate me?"

"What? Hate you?" Robin tried to understand the 'you hate me' part. He absolutely had no idea what he was talking about. Inverse to Starfire's stern tone, Robin's was calm and gentle. At least, he tried to be.

"Why would I?" The crickets on the background seemed to have been recording Robin's every move, as if ready to report them to Raven if he does something stupid. They were chirping loudly, but not loud enough to compete with their voices. "I never hate you, Starfire-"

Starfire sighed, and looked at him in the eye. The moonlight outside gave a shine in Starfire's eyes, wet and red. The lights that were placed in the room were lighted dim, and they weren't much of a help. "It means that you would want me to be here all alone and lonely."

"Alone? Lonely? What are you talking about?" He kneeled and took one of her delicate hands. "You have Raven, Speedy, and Bumblebee here," he informed, caressing her fingers with his gloved ones, staring sadly into her eyes. "Do you still want me to call Argent?" He knew that she and Argent were friends. He didn't hesitate to get the Titan communicator from his belt using his other, free hand. "She's somewhere from UK, but if you want me to-"

"No!" Starfire's other hand stopped Robin from opening the communicator. "Robin, please. I...I want you. I want you here. I don't want you..." She gulped. "Gone."

"Gone? It wouldn't take long, just for...a day." Before tomorrow's sunset. Raven estimated that by tomorrow's sunset, she might be...

But they all decided to not tell her. Not in a million years.

They settled in an uncomfortable silence, the crickets even noisier than Cyborg's boom box.

"But what if you...what if you fail..." Starfire stopped herself from crying. The thought of him gone was...

_Terrible_.

"We will not fail, Star." Robin himself was threatened by his own words, but he didn't let Starfire notice. He just continued in holding her hand, firmly this time, and Starfire was holding his. "We will get that flower for you-"_ in time_, he added mentally- "and we'll be back before you know it and everything would be back to normal."

"But friend...I want you to stay," she persuaded.

"Star, you know that I can't." The conversation started again from the beginning, but Robin, somehow, found that he wasn't getting irritated. He wanted to stay here. But that just couldn't be... "And why would you feel lonely? You would be fine again by tomorrow-doesn't that thought make you happy?"

"No. All that comes into my mind is that...is that...I am..." _Dead soon_, she thought. She shook her head, and she grabbed his hand with her other and pulled it to her. "Please, just stay."

"But Starfire-"

"You promised me," she breathed, her voice heavy and shaking. "You promised me that you will stay with me, that you will never leave me. You told me that we would watch the sunset! I...what if I don't get to..." She shook her head again. She didn't like thinking that she might be gone, only after a few...

_Weeks? Days? Hours? Minutes?_

"Please, don't break that promise."

"Star-"

"And you promised me that you would not let me die." She squeezed his hand. Harder. "And if I do, I want that I would not be all alone in this room. I want you here. Please just stay."

"Starfire!" For the second time of the day, he took both her shoulders and pushed her down on her bed to make her head fall on her pillow. He didn't want to shout, but he couldn't help it.

And her shoulders...he felt the skin on it, and the fever she was having was serious.

"Wasn't it you who told me that friends always do everything for one another?" His face turned dark, and his shadow towered over her. The gray lights overhead hung, but it seemed like the room was dark. Robin's head was only twelve inches from her, and Starfire felt safe that very moment when he was so very...near.

"Wasn't it you who told me to take a break sometimes and let the others do the work?" He shouted again. Starfire wanted that. She wanted him...there.

"Wasn't it you who reminded me that friends must work together to help one another up when they'd fallen off in a cliff? That's exactly what we're doing now." Robin refrained from shaking. "And it seems like _you _now are not appreciating any of it."

"Robin," Starfire whispered, and her voice seemed hurt.

"Starfire," Robin murmured back, his tone softening a hundred times better, gentle but urgent. His grip on her shoulders slackened, and his face eased with compassion for her. He lightly released her from his hold, and held her one hand. He used his other to stroke the frizzled hair of the young exhausted Tamaranian, and a new, fresh river of tears came rushing down from her emerald eyes, found their way to her red cheeks, and trickled down from her chin.

Robin pushed her head gently and rested her on his chest, letting her cry out her inner emotions. The Boy Wonder, seeing her sadness for him leaving, had his forlorn eyes focused on her, convulsing from her involuntary sobbing every now and then.

"Oh, Robin, oh dearest friend Robin," she wept, saying the same words ever so often. She let him cradle her in his warm, safe embrace, mourning on the possible loss that she might have.

"It's okay, it's okay," Robin comforted her melancholically, still her hands in his. He lightly kissed her head, cherishing that moment that he was with her. It was minutes before Starfire calmed down, and the two settled in comfortable silence with each other's company. She lifted her head to face him, who, in turn, was staring down at her with his hidden azure eyes, reflecting the light of the pale moonlight.

"I will come back, Star," he said, his voice low and unhurried, lowering his head so that he was inches away from her. He suddenly felt her pulse race like a greyhound's in her wrist, but Starfire abruptly looked away from his gaze.

"I could not bear the fact that you are truly serious about sacrificing in this Sky Tower," she said, steadying her voice so she intimidated him, which had no effect. She trembled a little, her body signaling her to go to sleep, but fought against it. She wanted to stay awake.

"I will not be able to forgive myself if I don't ever see you again," she deadpanned, again controlling her tears.

"Star," Robin began, "you understand the seriousness of this situation. I am doing this for you. You're my best friend, Star, and I won't forgive myself either, if I let you fall into this alone."

"I am sure that you would do this for anyone else in this world. But doing this against their will is highly-"

"Starfire." Robin cut her off, and squeezed her hand again gently. He turned her head to face him, and took the time to put a stray hair behind her ear. Robin used the back of his hand to touch her cheek, and his caress caused Starfire's heart to burst with joy, thumping loudly, and the way he said her name was awkwardly loving.

"Starfire," he repeated, his hand finding its way to her chin, lifting it to look at him. "Only for you."

He then brushed his lips against hers, if the small, surprised gasp that Starfire let out was any indication. She closed her eyes as Robin did, too, and she put one hand around Robin's neck. Robin tenderly pulled her closer against him, emptying the distance between them. Time went by slow, and the dancing shadows of the curtains seemed to have been playing a slow, melodious violin musical. The dark world around Robin had vanished, and Starfire's troubled mind was clear of happiness. She fell asleep lying there in Robin's hands, which he didn't even noticed.

He pulled back from her gently, and took away her hand away from his neck. He paused. He looked at her face, breathing slowed down, and her condition seemed to grow lighter.

Robin couldn't take away the smile across his face. He positioned her comfortably in her bed. He then took both her hands, drew them to him, saying, "Wait for me, Star."

He placed another kiss on her forehead, and whispered for the last time, "I _will _be back."

"Looks like she's asleep," Robin muttered, after checking her softly closed eyes. Sighing, he said, "Good."

Robin started to get up and walk away, but Starfire's right hand was still on his. Apparently, she had really not wanted him to go. Robin looked at it for a second. He was slightly moved. He kneeled beside her, and placed his other palm on hers.

He gently removed his hand from hers, and stood up. "I promise."

He walked away, and he pushed the opening-door-sequence button. It hissed obediently, and stepped out.

Starfire, though she was asleep, had her eyes watering with tears.

Robin, once outside, removed his mask and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. After all, he didn't know when else would he see Starfire again, smiling and her eyes glowing. And if he _would _come back, he wouldn't know if he could still keep the promise that they could still watch the sunset together again.

-.-

Más and Menos stared at Robin. "Señorita Starfire... Ella está...a punto de morir...?" **(Translation: She is...dying?)**

All active and conscious present Titans stood outside Raven's door. They were waiting for her to complete the set up for the portal, and they were now assigned jobs for the impending mission. Raven was to observe and maintain Starfire. Bumblebee promised Jump City's safety. Speedy was tasked to remind Raven if the Titans are already coming back, so he could call Raven to ready the portal for them. Mas and Menos were to follow the frequency of impending monsters on the way they go to the top of the Sky Tower. Beast Boy and Cyborg are to be the back-ups of the team. Aqualad was to lead them.

_And Robin..._

Bumblebee nudged Menos. She didn't quite understand Spanish, only a little, but she had a feeling it hurt Robin.

"No, Menos," Beast Boy understood a little Spanish. "She isn't. Because...she's going to be fine. All we need is...sugar, spice, and everything nice, right?" No one responded. Everyone was quiet. He hunted for Raven's confirmation. The door to her room was open, and he saw her placing the materials inside the circle to form the set. "Raven?"

She didn't have much time. "Yes," she breathed. Only by tomorrow's sunset, Starfire is...

"Well, maybe if my friend Robin here would just let _me _sacrifice, he won't feel all edgy and panicky," Speedy sulked. He didn't quite like his job...and who told him that Robin was his boss? "If you don't want to sacrifice," he told Robin, "then let me. I'm sure Starfire will be happy."

Robin inwardly 'pfft'-ed. He ignored him. _What show-off..._

"Will you stop making the illogic?" Aqualad wanted to slap his forehead, afraid that his friend had mortally offended the Titans' leader. "Robin's not feeling panicky. He isn't, because...he knows we'll be back with the Xilia...thing..."

"Easy for you to say..." Speedy sulked. Again. "All I have to do is wait at the portal and warn Raven that you're here. And you...? You get to lead the Titans. What great help."

"Actually, it _is _great help." Cyborg seethed, teeth gritted. "You telling Raven that we're already here is actually great help." He wanted Speedy to stop sulking. He was starting to get...

Well, annoying. Good thing Robin excluded him from the rescue team. Or else...

"Señor Robin," Más called his leader.

The Boy Wonder smiled a little, and turned his head toward Más. "Yeah?"

"Si nos dejan ambos tomarás el sacrificio..." he fidgeted a little, but otherwise continued bravely, "entonces no nos sentiríamos inútiles en el equipo."

Robin had a confused face.

"He said, 'If you would let us both take the sacrifice, then we wouldn't feel useless in the team.'" Beast Boy supplied.

"No, Más, no." Robin felt flattered, but he thinks that super powered people are needed in the Sky Tower to defend themselves and reach the hundredth floor. "_I'll _be glad to sacrifice. I appreciate the offer, but...doing this would make me feel good. But thank you, Más. Really. That made me feel better."

"Pero-"

"Okay. It's ready," Raven said. "Enter, guys." When she saw Speedy look right and left, and proceeded on walking forward, she said, "Speedy, out, please, out."

Speedy started sulking. Raven let Robin, Aqualad, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Más and Menos into her room.

Bumblebee waved at Raven enthusiastically from outside, which Raven smiled at, before the door was closed.

In the room was seven lit candles which formed a circle, wherein Raven was supposed to channel the portal that led to Azarath. There was also white sand inside the mystic bottles that were on the left and right side of the circle. The Book of Azar was in the middle of it, and Raven was supposed to read the chants and spells required to send other species of people in the dimension without the accompaniment of a mystic from it.

And the spell she was about to make, of course, led to the portal that would block out all Trigon's attacks.

Raven was levitating, Indian-sitting in the middle of the circle. Her eyes were closed, but she could see what the others were doing.

"Form a circle around the candles," she commanded, her fingers crisscrossed.

The team obediently obliged.

"Now, hold hands, all together. I must feel your intensity and desire to go to Azarath, so I could channel the portal that lets mortals in, without accompaniment of a mystic."

The team of male Titans did as they were told.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Vámonos!" Mas and Menos both said, punching their fists into the air.

-.-

* * *

**O~ka~ay. It's not much, I know. Very confusing and long. I can't restrain myself. But what do you expect?! There **_**had **_**to be a romantic kiss before Robin will depart! So, I hope you like it! Credits to ! There's no need to rate, I think this is a B. Reading this is so much appreciated! Oh, please give me tips on how to make a scene romantic! I'm not really much of a mushy-mushy girl, but realized I must be when I started loving the RobStar pairing. Love you! **

**To those who are confused, dat's right—we have school in June. Summer vacay is over for us, last April and May. Our school systems-America's and Philippines'-don't really agree with each other. **_**I hope our summer vacay was supposed to be in June, though...**_

**Random topic: I'm hurt, guys...my friend just asked me, "Why do you put so much in that fanfiction thing you're doing? It's just a **_**cartoon**_**." She underestimates the **_**Teen Titans**_**, dudes and dudettes, **_**the **_**Teen Titans. Although indirectly, she still **_**underestimates**_**.**

**Love, **

**TiTaN-kINd-Of-GaL T_G_W_W_T_T_F_S ;)**


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